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SW Corner Cut is Dead Click HERE
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EMBF to support No Coal Coalition. Click HERE
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EMBF Donation to No Coal Coalition. Click HERE
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EMBF IS A 501(c)(3) Organization. Click HERE
Dear East Matagorda Bay Foundation member:
First, let me wish each of you a Happy New Year! May 2011 be healthy, happy and prosperous!
Second, East Matagorda Bay Foundation (EMBF) will hold a general membership meeting on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 4 PM at the Caney Creek Chapel Fellowship Hall. I urge each of you to attend our first meeting of 2011. Light refreshments will be served following the meeting.
Third, it is time to renew memberships for the 2011 calendar year. Our dues remain $10.00 per person per calendar year. Attached, please find the 2011 Membership/Renewal form. Please complete and return it with your remittance to the address indicated on the form. Forms will also be available at the meeting on the 29th of January and you can save the cost of a postage stamp and envelope. When you are making out your check, please remember the EMBF Legal Fund! Amounts over and above the dues will be deposited in the legal fund. Thank you in advance!
Fourth, I would like to recap your foundation’s activities of 2010.
2010 started with our January membership meeting and membership renewal campaign.
On February 2, 2010, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Galveston District released a public notice regarding Matagorda County’s permit application for the Southwest Corner Cut into East Matagorda Bay. The deadline for public comment and to request a public hearing on the permit was March 5, 2010. The battle was on! All EMBF members were either emailed or mailed 2 form letters to complete and mail, one to USACE-Galveston and one to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Austin, voicing concern over the negative impact of the cut on the bay and requesting a public hearing on the proposed project. Ruth Risinger, editor of Sargent’s News, graciously gave EMBF 5 pages in the February 19, 2010 issue of the paper. In that issue were the 2 form letters. Readers were asked to remove, complete and mail the letters. Thanks to all who took the time and effort to respond. 261 form letter responses were received by the corps as a result of the letter writing campaign. In addition, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, EMBF, Sargent Area Chamber of Commerce and CCA-Texas responded with concerns over the proposed project. As of my last conversation with Brian Bader, the Project Engineer at USACE-Galveston, on Tuesday, January 12, 2011, a decision has not yet been made on whether to grant or deny the permit nor has a decision been made on whether or not to hold a public hearing. He indicated that he hopes to make a decision by the end of this month.
The February membership meeting, naturally, dealt mostly with the task at hand of opposing the Southwest Corner Cut.
A general membership meeting was held in May.
At the general membership meeting held in July, our guest speaker was Dr. Robert McFarlane who is the EMBF environmental consultant. Dr. McFarlane had attended the Matagorda County Coastal Committee (MCCC) meeting on July 14th. He told the MCCC “the Southwest Cut was a stupid project when it was first proposed nearly 20 years ago, and it remains a stupid project today”. Dr. McFarlane educated the EMBF membership in attendance on the ecological history of Caney Creek, East Matagorda Bay, and his own involvement with EMBF since 1991.
At the general membership meeting held in September, our guest speaker was Capt. Bill Pustejovsky of Gold Tip Guide Service in Matagorda, TX. Capt. Bill is trying to get Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to institute a 5 trout limit in East Matagorda Bay. EMBF adopted a resolution to support his efforts and recently submitted a letter to TPWD in support of such a limit in response to TPWD’s solicitation for public input on the subject.
During 2010, EMBF had representation at the Crab Trap Classic Offshore Tournament, Sting Rae’s Sargent Offshore Blast, Sargent Bam-Bam Jamboree, and two private fishing tournaments held by the Richbourg family. We promoted the mission of EMBF, recruited new members, and sold EMBF fishing shirts, t-shirts, and caps, the proceeds of which go to the legal fund.
Also during 2010, EMBF donated apparel to the 4th Annual MSgt. Gonzales Memorial Tournament, Sargent Bam-Bam Jamboree, and the Sargent Area Chamber of Commerce Octoberfish. These organizations auctioned the items donated to raise funds for their organizations.
It is with deep sorrow that I report the passing of Mr. D. W. Benthall on Friday, December 31, 2010. Mr. Benthall was one of the original founders of EMBF in the 1980’s.
2010 was a very busy and productive year for your organization! Your directors thank you very much for your support and look forward to your continued support of the Foundation and its mission in 2011! We look forward to seeing you at the general membership meeting on January 29th and will be grateful for your membership renewal.
Sincerely,
John McLaughlin
President
Larry Cabness Suzanne Porretto Edward Stavinoha Ed Kinney
Vice President Secretary Treasurer Director at Large